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Wednesday, September 07, 2016

TRO: 3087 - Orion

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.ON2-MC OrionOverviewThe Diamond Shark trade mission into the Inner Sphere entered the Free Worlds League a little over a year into The League’s civil war. Their intent to negotiate with the League at Goth Khakar was thwarted when both sides of the war attempted to secure exclusive negotiation rights. The Sharks had to clear their own landing zone and force both parties to the negotiating table. Any industrial output promised to the Clan from one side could have been a legitimate military target to the other, limiting what League governments could offer. However, resource and exploration rights to lands held by the former Atreus government were on the table and the Sharks walked away with mineral-rich enclaves while both sides of the Civil War enjoyed advanced upgrade packages. The Orion ON2-M was chosen as the recipient of this package because it was new enough to be compatible with cutting-edge technology, but old enough to have the kinks worked out of it.CapabilitiesBecause of the Orion’s close association with Alexandr Kerensky, it was expected that the upgrades would be very similar to the Clans’ Orion IIC. While there is some resemblance--like the ‘mech’s gauss rifle, the Diamond Sharks didn’t seem willing to give a venerated design to an Inner Sphere power.The upgraded armor and gauss rifle allow for the addition of a trio of short range missile launchers with two bins of ammunition to support them. The multiple launchers and ammunition types are used for versatile close in work, whether it’s spreading smoke, fire, or using the hail of missiles to take down vehicles. Besides the basic tweaks on the design, the Orion still serves as it has for most of the last six hundred years; as a versatile command ‘mech and pocket assault unit.Thanks to the success of their trade deals with the Diamond Sharks, it is one of the most highly-produced and widely-distributed battlemechs in the Free Worlds League Militia. Battle HistoryEven though Regent Yvonne Steiner-Davion had died almost five years earlier, the political fad of Yvonnenomics was just hitting New Olympia’s Independent Principality of Olympica 3079. As it did throughout the Federated Suns, Yvonnenomics buoyed the economy as a whole, but at the cost of industries with high levels of immigrant workers and workers well-positioned for political activism.After months of confrontations, work stoppages, and sit-ins, the local militia lost patience and began dispersing Free People’s League groups by force, often with lethal effect. The injury of citizens from the neighboring Republic of Kasnov-Greenland ratcheted up tensions, threatening to plunge the world into a civil war.Bjo Whitney, a corporate pilot for Kali Yama Weapons Industries, Inc., was demoing the new Orion for local leaders to drum up demand. She took her lance of and interceded to defuse such a confrontation without authorization. A few days later workers and the Principality came to an agreement, chiefly thanks to the lack of violence in the streets. Whitney was fired by Kali Yama, but given a loan by the company to start a small mercenary outfit. The Kentares Kommand has since set up shop in the Mercenaries Alliance. They provide education and training to Alliance units on minimizing civilian casualties and complete subcontracts for units with poor histories dealing with urban pacification.Kentares Kommand uses a modified Orion which specializes in crowd control.VariantsThe ON2-M is still produced, with more being built as the the supply of upgrade kits available from the Diamond Sharks drops and vice versa.When new Orions fall into Senate hands, they replace the pulse lasers and Clantech gauss rifle with a light, Inner Sphere rifle and an extended range laser. This transforms the Orion into a long range support platform, with only a pair of streak missile launchers for proximate defense.Duane Friedman represents the Free Worlds League on Solaris VII. Her Orion removes some long range missiles and a pulse laser to add more short range missiles and a Hurricane Active Hatchet system. The new hatchet uses flamers, mono-filament wires, and a rigged jump jet to deliver devastating blows at close range.The Kentares Kommand’s Orions, nicknamed OK, carry a collection of fluid guns, pulse lasers, and electronics. MMLs replace the LRM rack which allow for either anti-personnel or anti-armor functions. The unit’s real punch is provided by a particle projection cannon.ON2-MC OrionType/Model: Orion ON2-MCTech: Mixed / 3078Config: Biped BattleMechManufactured: Free Worlds League(C)Fielded: Free Worlds League (C) (Common)Mass: 75 tonsEquipment: Crits MassInt. Struct.: 14 4.00 (Loc: 1 HD, 2 LT, 4 RT, 3 RA, 2 LL, 2 RL) 144 pointsEngine:300 Fusion 6 19.00 Walking MP: 4 Running MP: 6 Jumping MP: 0Heat Sinks: 10 Double 0 0.00Gyro: 4 3.00Cockpit: 5 3.00Actuators: 14 0.00 L: Sh+UA+LA R: Sh+UA+LAArmor Factor: Ferro-F...(C) 7 11.50 (Loc: 2 CT, 3 LT, 2 LA) 104 pts Internal Structure Armor Value Head: 3 9 Center Torso: 23 35 Center Torso (Rear): 10 L/R Side Torso: 16 22/22 L/R Side Torso (Rear): 10/10 L/R Arm: 12 23/23 L/R Leg: 16 28/28Weapons and Equipment Loc Crits Tons---------------------------------------CASE CT 1 0.50Gauss Rifle (C) RT 6 12.00LRM-15 LT 3 7.00Medium Pulse Laser LT 1 2.00Medium Pulse Laser RA 1 2.00Medium Pulse Laser LA 1 2.003xSRM-2 LA 3 3.00@Gauss Rifle (16) RT 2 2.00@LRM-15 (16) LT 2 2.00@SRM-2 (50) LA 1 1.00@SRM-2 (Inferno) (50) LA 1 1.00 Crits & Tons Left: 6 0.0Hurricane Active Hatchet - The Hurricane Active Hatchet is a series of physical weapons identical to a hatchet except that they do not gain the -1 bonus to hit and the amount of damage they deal is not dependent on the attacking ‘Mech’s weight.

Duane Freidman’s Orion carries a Class 45 Hurricane Active Hatchet which deals 18 points of damage and generates six heat. Active Hatchets generate two less heat on any turn in which the unit wielding it used jump jets.